My excitement for this event came from the chance to push myself farther than last year, when I completed the Sprint Distance. Sprint distance consists of a 400 meter swim in the Cumberland River, 20k on the bike and a 5k run through the streets of downtown Nashville. This year I upped it a bit and signed up for the Olympic distance. Olympic is made up of a 1500 meter swim, a 40k bike segment and 10k run. I had never swam more than 1000m and I did that just a few days before my ankle injury. So there were a few question marks in my mind as I arrived to LP Field and prepared for the start. I like question marks. They keep things exciting.
I got to pick up my packet and the new race number tattoo system the day before the race. The transition area was already set up so I got to do a quick walk through of all my transitions. That made the morning of the race a breeze. You have to be up early for triathlons. I have gotten spoiled this year having a lot of evening crits. You have to be at a triathlon early even if you start near the end because the transition area closes before the first swimmer hits the water.
A full transition area before the start
The start was time trial format with one swimmer starting every three seconds. The Sprint racers went first. I was in the last quarter of the Olympic starters so I had about an hour wait before I got to start. There were quite a few people signed up for this year's event. 965 starters to be exact.
The line of racers awaiting their turn to start the swim
Sprint Distance swimmers coming back to the dock for the swim exit
My goal for the swim was to remain clam and stay settled into my own pace. I knew I could make the distance if I just paced myself. The only part that really worried me was that we finished the last 300 meters against the current. I knew that getting fatigued early would make me pay dearly by the end of the swim. It was finally my turn and I jumped off to a good start. It was probably a bit too fast, but I was picking off a lot of people and that made it hard to back off. We started against the current, then turned right and went across it. I had a little difficulty holding my line against the cross-current, but managed to only get about 3 feet off my line. I toned down my pace once the current was at my back. There were several fast swimmers behind me and most of them came by like a speedboat as we went down the back of the course. Fatigue was not even a thought in my mind until the last 100 meters. My goal time was 45 minutes and I was out of the water in 33:08.
The swim took place in the shadow of downtown Nashville
Swimmers in the waters of the Cumberland River
Me grabbing some air near the end of the 1500 meter swim in the Cumberland River
One of my weekly riding buddies in Clarksville, Barry Woods, was also taking part in the Olympic Distance today
Me running up the hill from the river and towards the transition area to get my bike.
Barry running towards the transition area after his swim
I couldn't have been happier running up the hill to the transition area. I just blew my goal out of the water! That was good motivation to start the bike. I was a tad slow with my transition, but I still gained some spots and managed to get clear road ahead of me after the first few turns through the LP Field parking lot. The bike course was a rolling 20k loop that left LP Field and went North on Ellington Parkway, then back. It's the only time all year that Ellington is completely shut down to traffic. The climbing along the course is long, gradual grades, typical of a major highway. The city paved the course just in time for the race, finishing it up just a few days before. They were proud of their effort to help the race. Then they stopped using their brains and decided to begin paving on the roads that lead to Ellington. They chewed up and grooved the pavement on Friday, making for a very rough transition to and from the Parkway. Got to love TDOT.
Bike course mapped out on Google Earth from my Garmin reading
I was a little too pumped on the bike and went out harder than I should have, but I was able to maintain it. Starting so far back gave me a lot of traffic. I was considerably faster than most of the people on the course. I was passing riders in groups on the climbs. Constantly having someone ahead to chase made me push harder. I was very settled and smooth the whole ride, clicking off 2 laps of the 20k loop in 1:06:48 with a 22.3 mph avg speed. That was only 31st fastest overall, but it was a good time for me. I can tell I am definately improving my time trialing. My old mountain bike buddy, Mike Purvis, rode the fastest bike time of the day with a 59:49. He was the only rider to break the 1 hour barrier.
Me leaving LP Field to head out for lap 1 of the bike segment
Coming back to LP Field to complete lap 1 of 2
One of the women during the bike portion of the race
Me cruising the aero bars as I begin lap 2
Going out on Lap 2
Rounding a corner on lap 2 of the 40k bike
Rounding the turn to bring me back to LP Field and complete my bike section
Racers negotiating a 90-degree left turn near the end of the bike course
Me staying tucked during one of the final turns on the bike course
I was so focused during the bike that I forgot to eat and drink until the last 5 miles. And that mistake hit me hard during the run. My lack of riding in the aero position made for some tired and sore glutes by the end of the bike. As soon as I stepped off the bike, I knew I was in trouble. My hamstrings and glutes were very tired and near cramping. And I could tell I was beginning to bonk. My run was good for about half a mile, then I hit the wall and totally fell apart. The run course was 2 laps on a 5k loop through downtown Nashville. It featured 3 good-sized climbs, 2 of which were out in the sun. The temp was now up into the mid-90s. I roasted on the climb up First Avenue and had to walk at one point to keep from passing out.
Run course through downtown Nashville
Timex triathlete Bruce Gennari during the run
I'm suffering like a dog at this point...
A steady line of triathletes work their way up the hot hill on First Avenue
First Avenue was a place of suffering for everyone
I felt so bad and it was frustrating to see my average pace at over 10 minutes per mile. I was hoping to finish the run in about 50 minutes, but wound up finishing in 1:07:20. I started to feel better at the end, but there was nothing left in the legs to pick up the pace with.
Wrapping up lap 1 of the run
Glad to have some water on a hot day like this
Barry appears to be enjoying the run at this point
Coming down off the Woodland Street bridge with less than a mile to go
Very few times have I been more happy to see the barriers and the finish ahead
Done!
I wound up taking 16th in the 25-29 class and 159th overall. It was a bit frustrating that I fell apart, but I still did better than expected so I still consider it a successful day. I have one more road triathlon to go this year at the Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon. I'm sure that my experience today will help me be better prepared for it.
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